


Family Commitment

by DreamingPagan



Series: Graced [2]
Category: Black Sails
Genre: F/M, Fluff, M/M, Unrepentant Fluff, happens post Full of Grace
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-20
Updated: 2017-12-20
Packaged: 2019-02-17 15:53:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13080246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DreamingPagan/pseuds/DreamingPagan
Summary: Never and always can be the same promise, as the McGraw-Hamilton family starts to find out.





	Family Commitment

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sirenswhisper](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sirenswhisper/gifts).



> This fic was inspired by the lovely Sirenswhisper, without whom this fluff would not be possible!

It is February and cold in London, and Hennessey does not miss the snow one tiny bit.

“You’re going to end up sunburned, and then I’ll have to rub salve on you and listen to you complain,” Hal’s voice says nearby, and Hennessey turns toward him, a lazy smile on his face.

“Somehow I find it difficult to imagine that you would object,” he answers, and sees Hal’s eyebrows rise.

“Did Admiral Hennessey just crack a joke?” he asks, and Hennessey rolls his eyes.

“No, but I think I might have done,” he answers, and Hal smiles.

“I’ll believe it when you stop sounding like you’re still on deck giving orders,” he answers, but it’s a fond tease. Hal knows that Hennessey can no more help the change in his accent than Hal can help his now bald head, and both have been the source of some amusement in the weeks since Hennessey has turned up here in Nassau.

Speaking of which -

“You’re quite certain your presence won’t be required for some time?” he asks, and Hal rolls his eyes.

“ _Yes_ ,” he answers. “A pirate ship isn’t like a Navy ship, love. They can get along without their quartermaster for a bit, provided your James does his job right. And given you raised him -”

“He’ll make a damned fine captain,” Hennessey answers. “Had I had the means in London -”

“None of that,” Hal says, and comes to wrap his arm around Hennessey’s waist. He leans in for a kiss, and Hennessey allows it gratefully, a shudder going through him once more at the contact.

He woke this morning to Hal lying next to him, and on some level, he still can’t believe it, but he’s never been a man to doubt the evidence of his own senses. Right now, they are telling him that he is warm, and safe, and above all else, he is home.

“I’m a lucky bastard,” Hal murmurs against his lips after a moment, and Hennessey gives a short huff of laughter.

“I’ll not argue,” he says, “but why, particularly, just now?”

“You realize I’d not been back to Nassau for months before you arrived?” he asks. “We’d been spending time near Boston - raiding ships up and down the coastline for a bit, run out of supplies at least once, near drowned in a bad Nor’Easter - and then I come back here, stiff and sore and tired, and I find myself wondering if I didn’t drown after all. You sure this is real?”

Hennessey allows his head to tilt forward until his forehead rests against Hal’s. His nose bumps against Hal’s, and he allows his hands to touch his lover’s shoulders lightly.

“If it be a dream,” he says finally, “then I devoutly hope I do not wake any time soon.”

Hal’s shoulders move as he gives a gentle huff of laughter, and looks up, his eyes meeting Hennessey’s.

“If you’re a dream,” he says, “then somebody up there must be telling me to move my arse and come find you. Tell you what - we wake up tomorrow in our own separate beds, you stay the hell put so our ships don’t cross each other on the way to stop being a pair of idiots, agreed?”

Hennessey swallows against the lump in his throat and nods, and then Hal’s arms close around him, and they stand for a moment simply holding onto one another.

“I could never have dreamt the mutton chops,” Hennessey says after a moment, and he can feel the deep rumble of Hal’s laughter start before he sees the smile spreading across his face.

“You’re never gonna let me hear the end of that, are you?” Hal’s tone is fond, and Hennessey gives him a smile in return.

“Never,” he promises, and leans in to kiss his lover. It has been a long twenty years full of strange dreams, but this -

This is not one of them. This is the end of the long nightmare, and he intends to treat it as such.

*******************************

“Thomas,” James asks in a pained tone. “Please tell me we have not ever been quite so - so -”

He gestures toward his father and Gates, and Thomas cannot help but laugh. The older couple are on the porch of the small house they now inhabit, and personally, he cannot help but find their highly public second courtship both an enormous relief and very, very endearing.

“A hundred times worse, darling, I assure you,” he answers, and Miranda reaches a hand up to touch the small of James’ back, then tugs on his belt, pulling him down into her lap. He gives a yelp of surprise, and then looks up at Thomas, face still pained.

“Thomas,” he says. “Your wife is a menace.”

Miranda smiles, and embraces him from behind.

“Why James,” she says, “what a wonderful compliment!” James is fighting a grin now, and Thomas finds himself smiling as well.

“Our wife, love,” he reminds, and James allows the grin to spread across his face at last.

“Our wife,” he corrects, and turns, flashing that same disarming grin at Miranda. “So, wife - are you going to let me up sometime today?”

From the porch, laughter sounds, and Miranda shoots an amused look at Thomas.

“That depends entirely,” she says, “on whether or not Thomas deems it safe. Darling - exactly how horrified is dearest James likely to be if he were to look out the window at present?”

Thomas looks out the window, and when he looks back to James, there is a truly wicked grin on his face.

“Oh, I expect that if you allow him to rise at the moment, he may just go blind,” he answers, and Miranda grins.

“Just so. So you see, James, I can’t possibly let you get up. Whatever shall I do with you?”

In answer, he grins, and then attempts to rise, the look on his face stating clearly that he has no actual expectation of being allowed to do any such thing. Miranda grips his belt firmly, and pulls him backward, forcing him to sprawl somewhat on her lap.

“James,” she says, one hand going to James’ hair and tugging just a bit, “sit.”

He jumps a little, and turns to look at Miranda, shock in his eyes.

“Did you just tell me to -?” he starts, and she gives him a challenging look.

“Do you intend to do something about it?” she asks, and Thomas sees the look that moves across James’ face in response - sudden, surprised interest, his mouth falling open a little way, breath stuttering for a brief second, and Thomas can see his pupils dilate.

“And now we are the ones who should most likely take this to another room,” Thomas says firmly. “If, that is, I am invited to -”

He gets his answer when without hesitation, James stands, Miranda releasing his belt, to kiss Thomas firmly.

"Always," he promises, and Thomas grins and kisses him back.


End file.
